Do you sleep well at night--or at all?
The rheumy switched my sleepiing pills and I didn't go to sleep until nearly 4 am. Ugh! I had read users comments on Sonata and it said it puts you to sleep and helps you stay asleep. One person even said to take it in bed because it works so fast. I wish I had her phone number at 4 am.
What do you do to sleep?
Sleep? whats Sleep?
That's a tough question. Even with the Ambien, I have a hard time falling to sleep some nights. Between the pain (which is always worse at night) and generally feeling lousy seems to put a damper on the effect of any good sleep med.
I will be watching this post myself to see if anyone has good ideas. Maybe the sleep fairy will come and sprinkle some fairy dust on us tonight and we can all get a good night sleep...LOL
I'm with Navydad, what's sleep? To be honest, I do sleep, but don't stay a sleep if that makes sense. I'll often wake up two or three times a night, so I'm pretty lucky if I can sleep 3-4 hours straight (not on any sleep med though).
Patze
Oh dear, what sleep is right.
Mostly I have IC, which means at LEAST three trips to pee, and on the way I spray my eyes and take a sip of water.
Then I'm hot and then I"m cold and then (repeat ad infinitum).
I usually spend at LEAST 10 hours a night in bed, or in and out.
I am soooo fortunate that the worst of the Sjogren's and stuff did not hit until after I was retired.
Honestly, I do NOT see how those of you with small children and full time jobs or one or the other manage at all.
My hat is off to you and my heart goes out to you!!!!!!
We will be moving near our three younger grandchildren, and expect to have them over night often, and do activities with them.
But I will have a healthy and active husband on hand at all times, to help.
I cared for the two older ones after school for two years, taking them to activities, doing homework, fixing meals, giving them baths, doing laundry, and often having the entire family for dinner several times a week.
I was in the midst of terrible anemia, and UTIs from the IC, and always exhausted and always strung out. I did what I had to do, and I know you all do.
But at least I had all day each day to recover. Unless everyone was taking turns being home sick! You know how that goes.
So I don't use anything special to sleep except I take Melatonin. I don't even know if that's a good thing but I've been taking it forever.
I actually can sleep very well at points during the night, and dream very heavily. I've always been a big dreamer and my night life is important to me!
When I have severe pain (as I did with my knee) I almost lose my mind, and not being able to sleep is the end of the world for me.
I haven't started on sleeping aids, yet, but they are in reserve in my mind for the future.
Again, if I had children and work, I really don't know how I would do it.
As it is, my totally healthy son and daughter-in-law are looking for relief from their parenting burden from the grandparents, when we arrive.
And I"m so happy to be able to do that for them. and I adore m y grandchildren, and spending time with them.
Carolina
Once I get to sleep I wake up several times....I usually do not get to sleep until around 2am and that is with taking Xanax AND tylenol PM. I going to talk to my GP as soon as she's back from vacation and see what she can do. I've thought of trying Valarian Root or Melatonia.
Hi sewandsew :
I must say lately I have been sleeping pretty well.
I too, tried all kinds of sleeping pills, they work for a few days, and then don't work again.
What works for me now seems to be: Take 6 mg Melatonin and 1500 mg of L-Tryptophane 3-4 hours before bedtime. By 10 or 11pm, I feel sleepy and sleep through the night. I also try to workout and exercise during the day. Exercise really helps a lot.
In the past, I used a CD tape - from Healthy Journeys - they talk you into sleeping. Very relaxing, put your mind at ease and feel safe, secure. That worked well also.
Hope this is helpful
Pegasus :-*
My neuro had me to try Baclofen for the spasticity in my legs, and lo and behold, it worked to help my legs AND it really makes me sleep. I found that if I take the whole pill, I sleep soundly for 12 hours straight, and then feel groggy all of the following day. My hubby cut the pills in half for me, so if I take a half pill, I still sleep fairly well and I can actually get up in time for breakfast the next morning. That med really makes me have vivid dreams, too. Before this, I was waking every couple of hours with pain and spasms (and then stumbling to the bathroom, too). I am so relieved to finally have those spasms under control!
The doc wanted me to take it every night, but I don't. I'm afraid to combine it with the MTX, so I skip the Baclofen on M-day. I also skip it on Friday evenings, since that is our night to either go out to eat or to stay in watching Sci-fi and have a couple of drinks. I've decided that Friday is going to be my alcohol night.
I dislike taking meds, and I've had some very bad reactions to some like Tramadol, so I'm very pleased that this one is helping me with minimal side effects.
I felt so good today, we even went for a long walk on the beach, and my legs were able to handle it -YEAH.
Marla
I dont remember the last time I seplt through the night and woke up refreshed,, I dont dream anymore,, that stoped a couple of years ago,, I think a lot of my symptoms are a direct result oof not sleeping right,, but a lot of it has to be from the neuro issues I have,, I just dontknow whats worng and whats right any more,, maybe the doctors are right,, that I have a somotoform disorder,,
I was always a sound sleeper who feel asleep when head hit the pillow...now I find I am anxious about going to bed because I often have a hard time falling sleep....the last few weeks ..with my new and chronic lower back pain...it is even worse. Occasionally I panic and take an over the counter med...when I think falling asleep is futile....like around 1am.
I am also now retired...as a result of this disease...and do not know how the younger among us can manage. My hat is off to all of you.
Happy to hear that the Baclofen is helping you with nasty leg spasms and aloowing you to get some sleep, Marla. I us Klonopin for restless legs and had been out about a week before stay in the hospital. The docs hooked me up and I slept like a baby!
Even with a solid 10 hours, I could use a nap during the day. If only...
Sorry for the typos...using the BlackBerry this morning.
I sleep good now that I'm on the Fentanyl pain patch. Before I would wake up 100 times a nite because I was in pain. Now I sleep fairly good. I take Trazadone and that helps me a lot (and it's on the $4 list at Target). Good luck.
I take amitrtiptyline 25 mgs when I go to bed, and am usually asleep within twenty minutes. I do wake for a pee, but get right back to sleep, thank goodness. The only time I have problems now is if I'm particularly anxious, as I was just before my last surgery. Then I was usually awake by 4 am.
Kathyx
Hello everyone, luckily going to sleep has NEVER been a problem for me. As long as I clear my mind of worries I can sleep after only a couple minutes of laying there. What I have used for many, many years is white noise...an electrical fan. When my daughter was born I learned of using white noise to help the baby sleep. Plus running a fan helps block out other noises that might stir you into waking up or keep you from falling asleep. I turn the fan on..if it's chilly I turn the fan facing away from me clear across the room. I lay there and focus on the neutral sound of the fan and to sleep I go. I find it impossible to sleep without it now...the quietness makes my mind wonder too much. In the dead of winter it is too cold for the fan so, I used a small portable electric heater that uses a fan to blow the warm air so the noise of that will lull me to sleep. It is funny because my daughter, who is now almost 15, still likes the white noise to put her to sleep :) So give it a try..it might work for you. Before I started using the white noise, I had a little trouble going to sleep and I tried over the counter stuff called Calm's Forte...natural ingredients in it...and it worked okay I guess. Take care....mary
I used to have no trouble at all getting to sleep and staying asleep (that was before Sjogren's took a hold of my life). I would be asleep within 5 minutes and wake the next morning feeling rested. I don't know what feeling rested is anymore. The fatigue is unbearable at times. I haven't been able to work since 2008 because of the chronic fatigue. It's like having the flu X100 minus the nausea/vomiting. I too wake up numerous times thru out the night. The pain keeps me tossing and turning which wakes me up. Then of course there's the trips to the bathroom and to get a drink of water to make my mouth moist again. It's a vicious cycle! My poor husband-all this activity makes it hard for him to stay asleep. I tried ambien but was allergic to it. I also tried doxipen in a very low dose. It worked well however left me groggy all day. Benadryl makes me to dry. 3-4 times a week I use flexeril at night for the pain. I always sleep much better when I have taken the flexeril however I never feel rested. The fatigue is a constant issue for me. I could sleep 20 hours and still not feel rested. I hope you find something that works for you!! Best of luck
Nother thought on sleep:
I have been sleeping MUCH better since I started the Acetyl L-Carnitine and Alpha Lipoic Acid, both of which I take at night.
Correlation? Causation? don't know.
Just wanted to add that cause I just realized it myself.
Carolina
Of course all of this could change tonight!
:-)
Keep smiling, what else can we do?